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A comment on Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Years. Parent comment

Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by tetha on Monday December 15, 2025 @09:30AM (#46275014)
One of the more tractable examples here is the information what cell towers your cell phone is connected to. On it's own, it doesn't tell you that much.

But if you have this from 2-3 people, you can start inferring if they are meeting sporadically, meet a lot, possibly live together.

Or, if you add information about the services in the vicinity of cell towers, you can start deducing changes in a persons life. Suddenly the phone is moving more, to places with a doctor nearby, a gynecologist nearby, clothing stores, furniture stores, ... eventually a hospital. Start mixing in information about the websites they visit...

This incremental discovery of information about a person is surprisingly powerful depending on the data you have and hard to predict.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by georgeecollins on Monday December 15, 2025 @12:01PM (#46277085)
I agree with this completely. I feel like my phone is leaking so much sensitive information about me in so many ways. And it has access to my location, my communications, my finances. And it is hard to turn off. I can turn off my vacuum cleaner for months if I want. I can't turn off my phone or the computer in my car.

I guess that's why the vacuum doesn't worry me. The phone really does.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Robot Vacuum Roomba Maker Files for Bankruptcy After 35 Y... by snapcaster on Monday December 15, 2025 @02:40PM (#46279388)
Totally agree, but my point is that you shouldn't be modeling this by looking at various devices and calculating worry thresholds

Just stop leaking willingly leaking bits for little or no upside instead it's much simpler

[ Parent | on HN ]